Allen Iverson’s Three Quarter Million Dollar Sports Card Sale

AI is breaking records and we aren't talking artificial intelligence we are talking the legend Allen Iverson
Sep 09, 2016; Springfield, MA, USA; Allen Iverson speaks at the Springfield Symphony Hall during the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Sep 09, 2016; Springfield, MA, USA; Allen Iverson speaks at the Springfield Symphony Hall during the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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1997 was one of the best NBA draft classes of all time, featuring legends like Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, and the iconic Allen Iverson. AI was never an afterthought in that draft class, but he had never had a card sell for this much—until now. One of his cards sold for $701,500 over the weekend through Heritage Auctions.

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Topps and Topps Chrome have commanded high prices for many rookies over the past few years, but when it comes to 90s cards, inserts often end up being the most valuable. What makes this sale so historic is that Iverson has only had one card sell for over six figures before— a 2007-08 UD "Exquisite Collection" card that also featured Kobe Bryant and Stephon Marbury.

2007-08 UD "Exquisite Collection" All NBA Access Triple Logoman Patch #NBA-BIM Allen Iverson/Kobe Bryant/Stephon Marbury
2007-08 UD "Exquisite Collection" All NBA Access Triple Logoman Patch #NBA-BIM Allen Iverson/Kobe Bryant/Stephon Marbury / Image courtesy of CardLadder.com

His highest sale for a card featuring only him was a 2016-17 Panini National Treasures "Logoman Autographs", which sold for $79,200.

2016-17 Panini National Treasures "Logoman Autographs"
2016-17 Panini National Treasures "Logoman Autographs" / Image courtesy of CardLadder.com

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Between that sale and this record-breaking one, two 1996-97 SkyBox E-X 2000 hobby cases from his and Kobe’s rookie year sold for $74,400 in 2022 and $80,520 in 2024. The draft class having Kobe in it did have a lot to do with these box sales but AI and Ray Allen help drive up the price.

1996-97 SkyBox E-X2000 Basketball Opened Hobby Case
1996-97 SkyBox E-X2000 Basketball Opened Hobby Case / Image courtesy of CardLadder.com

According to Heritage Auctions, the $701,500 sale of the SkyBox Essential Credentials Now insert is “the 11th highest public sale of a sports card produced in the 1990s.” This card was part of their Winter Sports Card event, which totaled over $10 million in sales.

This card is an insert from the 1997-98 SkyBox E-X2001 product. As Cardboard Connection describes, “Card number one (Grant Hill) is numbered 1/1, card number two (Kevin Garnett) is numbered to 2, and so on, up to card number 80.”

That means since the Iverson card is number 3 on the checklist, only three of these cards exist in the product. Although this particular card is only a PSA 5, its extreme rarity makes it one of the most desirable Iverson cards in existence.


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Adam Palmer
ADAM PALMER

Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.